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Etymology The etymology of Bangladesh (Bangla Desh) can be traced back to the early 20th century, when Bengali patriotic songs, such as Kazi Nazrul Islam's Namo Namo Namo Bangladesh Momo and Rabindranath Tagore's Aji Bangla Hriday, used the term. In the past the word Bangladesh was often written as two words, Bangla Desh. From the 1950s, Bengali nationalists used the term at political rallies in East Pakistan. The term Bengali is a principal name for both the Bengali region and the Bengali language. The origins of the word Bengali are unclear, with theories pointing to a Bronze Age proto-Dravidian tribe, the Austric word "bonga" (sun god) and the Iron Age kingdom of Bengal. The first known use of the term is the Nessari Plate of 805 AD. The term Bhangaldesh is found in 11th century South Indian records. The term gained official status during the Bengal Sultanate in the 14th century. Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah proclaimed himself the first "Shah of Bengal" in 1342...